Surprise, surprise
by peskyhumanity
Summary: After Damon and Bonnie's death, they decided they were done with Mystic Falls. They needed a vacation. One-shot.


**A/N: I don't want to give too much away. Enjoy!**

* * *

She tip-toed through the beach house with the sun shining through every window and door. She only had his shirt on, a pair of panties, and her hair was a _hot _mess. All the windows and doors were open, letting the warm North Carolina breeze fill the house and the thin, cloth blind in the living room was waving all around.

She moved to the other end of the house where their bedroom was and slowly opened the door without letting it creak. She immediately smiled when she saw her incredible man, more of a boy, laying on his stomach. The white sheet was carefully wrapped around his waist while his muscular back and arms were getting the privilege of being touched by the warm sun. His skin was a certain color of caramel that made you want to wrap him in your arms and never let go. His hair was messy in that sexy I-just-woke-up kind of way and she couldn't help the smile that came to her face as she walked over to him.

When she got to the bed, she slowly and carefully lowered herself down on her side, where she had been earlier that morning. She laid on her hip, her elbow supporting her, and set one hand on his back. He didn't even budge so she scooted closer to him and started massaging his back.

"Stefan," she whispered next to his ear, her left hand still massaging his back. This time, he started to move but didn't fully wake up. She placed her lips on his left shoulder and gave him a small peck. Now, he kept his eyes closed but turned his head to face her, a smile fighting it's way onto his lips. She kissed his ear, his cheek, his nose, and finally, before she could kiss his lips, he grabbed her hands and rolled them over so he was laying on top of her. His lips were pressed against hers before she knew it and her hands found their way to his hips. She felt the elastic band from his briefs and was thankful that he put them back on.

He pulled his lips away from hers and she frowned, which he saw, and he laid right next to her. She snuggled up to him, her head on his chest, in that place between his shoulder and neck that seemed to be made just for her. He reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers then brought their hands up to his face and kissed her knuckles.

She smiled and kissed his chest, the only place her lips could reach. His left hand was around her back, playing with the thin cotton of his shirt that she had on and his lips were pressed against her head. He was always giving her some kind of kisses, somewhere on her body. She loved all of them. Whether they were innocent and he just needed to show her that he was _with _her, or whether they were passionate and they _needed_ each other right then and there.

"Good morning." He whispered, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She would never admit it but those were probably her favorite kisses. The sweet and innocent ones to show his commitment to her; to show that he wasn't going anywhere. Over the past few months she had had that problem. She was scared that he would leave her, and she really didn't want that to happen.

"We need to get ready, Mr. Salvatore." She said, looking up at his beautiful green eyes.

"For what? We have absolutely no place to be." He mumbled, causing her to giggle.

"It's our last day in this beautiful place and I want to go to the beach for at least a few hours before we have to drive back to Mystic Falls." She explained to him and he finally started to sit up.

"Fine. Anything for you." He whispered as he pressed his lips against hers. He jumped out of bed and she followed. They both changed out of their normal clothes and into their bathing suits. She slipped on her cover up and Stefan was waiting for her by the door. "You ready?" He asked her.

"Um… let me grab something from the bathroom. Go outside, I'll be right there." She said and smiled at him. He returned her smile and left the bedroom. She waited to hear the slam of the front door before quickly walking into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"You can do this," she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Just talk to him about it." She took one more deep breath then fluffed her hair a bit.

She left the bathroom and was giddily skipping to the front door. She saw him playing with his phone at the end of the driveway and she was as quiet as she could be. She tip-toed up behind him, then started running and jumped on his back.

"Hey!" He yelled, grabbing a hold of her legs. "You can't just do that!" He scolded her and she threw her head back and laughed.

"What? You're not strong enough, Mr. Salvatore?" She asked him seriously, jumping down from his back and she took his hand in hers as they started walking in the direction of the beach.

"What is up with all of this _Mr. Salvatore _stuff?" He asked through an airy laugh.

"I only call you that so you feel obliged to address me that way. It's kinda sexy." She said with her signature smile on her face.

"Really?" He asked in disbelief.

"Pretty much." She nodded and looked straight ahead.

He abruptly stopped and she stopped with him. He stepped in front of her, but so they were facing each other. He set his hands on her waist and had a mischievous smile on his face. He leaned in so their lips were centimeters apart and smiled his sultry smile.

"So this," he gestured to their current body position and closeness. "You don't find this sexy… _Ms. Forbes?"_

* * *

They spent about two hours at the beach, laying in the sand or chasing each other in the water. Caroline laughed which made Stefan laugh and she really loved his laugh. They were always in terrible, heart-breaking situations so she would never hear him laugh. But since she has, she didn't want it to stop. She didn't want to stop being the reason he laughed either.

She was happy with him. So incredibly happy. She never pictured her best friend becoming her boyfriend. Sure she had started having feelings for him; feelings she wasn't supposed to have. But she never thought that he would feel the same way.

Ever since Bonnie and Damon had gotten stuck on the other side and died, Elena would spend most of her time in her room, being quiet and not interacting with the world. On the other hand, Stefan and Caroline were always together doing something. Whether it was lunch at The Grille, seeing a movie at the theater, or just sitting on his back porch talking. Caroline was with him whenever he wanted to give into the blood or if he needed to cry. She would never judge him because it's what she loves about him. She knew how hard it was for him to lose his brother so she didn't suffocate him. When he wanted to be with her, she was always by his side. When he just wanted to spend some days alone, she would worry from afar, but never force her company on him.

Their relationship developed with them not even realizing it. So one day, when he reached over and intertwined his fingers with hers, she wasn't shocked. She didn't stop and look down at their joined fingers. She didn't ask him what he was doing. She didn't make a big deal out of it; she didn't make a scene out of it. She just held on tighter and smiled up at him.

When Stefan had gotten sick of just moping around Mystic Falls, he told Caroline they were going somewhere. He told her to pack for a long time because he didn't know when they would be coming back. They both said goodbye to Elena, to neither of their surprise, she didn't respond. She didn't know anything of their newly found relationship. She probably just thought it was a small trip between best friends. They hopped in his Porsche and started driving. She didn't know where and neither did he. But when they stopped for dinner in a small town in North Carolina, they didn't leave. It was peaceful, and calm, and beautiful.

But it's now the end of August and they had been there since May. Stefan thought that they should get back and make sure Elena was still alive, at least, and check in with Matt, also. But Stefan also promised that after they made sure everything was in check in Mystic Falls, Caroline could choose the next vacation place and they would leave immediately. She of course chose Italy.

The entire way back to the beach house they were all smiles and Stefan would occasionally sneak his hand around Caroline's waist and tickle her where she's most ticklish. She would erupt in laughter and he thought that it was the most angelic sound his ears had ever heard.

By the time they got to the house, the tickling and innocent touching had turned into kissing and something more. Their lips were on each other's as soon as the front door was closed and Stefan picked Caroline up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed her up against the nearest wall and put his fingers in her hair. Her hands were around the back of his neck, trying to keep herself connected to him.

Stefan quickly moved from the wall and fell down on the couch with Caroline on top of him. Every part of their bodies were as close as they possibly could be. Caroline's hands were on either side of Stefan's face, her thumbs stroking his strong jawline. Stefan's hands were around Caroline's waist, holding her to his body as tightly as possible. Her hair was falling around them, making some sort of shield from the outside world.

The kissing and touching went on for a while until Caroline finally detached her lips from Stefan's and sat up. She was straddling his waist, and when she sat up, his hands were slowly rubbing her thighs. Caroline smiled at Stefan and he smiled back. She grabbed one of his hands in hers and put them palm-to-palm, comparing the size. Stefan slowly slipped his fingers in the spaces between hers and smiled.

"A perfect fit." He whispered to her through his shy smile.

"Yeah, perfect." She repeated, not being able to contain the smile on her face. She leaned down once more and pressed her lips to his for an innocent kiss. Not like the ones they had been sharing in the previous moments. This was a sweet, slow peck that showed how she truly felt about him. "I love you." She whispered once she pulled her lips off of his.

Caroline told Stefan these three words on a daily basis, yet Stefan had never told her once. She didn't worry about his lack of feelings towards her, because she knew that they were there. She just didn't want it to always be like that. Where she said it and he just nodded and smiled.

Stefan sucked in a long breath through his teeth and Caroline sat up.

"We should probably start packing." He said quietly, knowing that he was being a coward for not saying it back. Stefan wanted to say those words to Caroline for so long but he just doesn't want to mess anything up. When he tells her, he wants it to be perfect. He doesn't want their relationship to go downhill after he tells her. They last time he was with a girl, it didn't end up too well, considering she fell in love with his brother. He cared about this girl sitting on top of him so much, that he didn't feel like the normal _I love you_ did justice.

"Yeah…" Caroline trailed off and jumped off of Stefan.

They both walked to their bedroom and started packing up the two dressers containing their clothes.

"What are we supposed to do when we get back?" Caroline asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Stefan replied.

"Well, after being here for a few months, there's always something to do. What are we gonna do when we get back to that boring Virginia town?" She specified.

"Good question. We don't have to stay in Mystic Falls every second of every day. We can go to the towns and cities around it. I can take you to dinner at an actual fancy restaurant and not The Grille. We can go see movies or go on romantic mountain walks." Stefan suggests and Caroline shrugs.

"I guess it won't be too bad," she starts and walks over to Stefan. "As long as you're by my side." He smiles down at her and takes her in his arms. His hugs were one of her favorite things about him. He would hug her like he never wanted to let her go.

"Always." He whispered in her ear.

And that's what Caroline needed to hear. She didn't need the simple _I love you_, she needed a promise. She didn't care that he didn't always tell her that he loved her. She knew that he was hers and she was his; always. She didn't need the extravagant dates or gifts. She didn't need his undivided attention twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. She didn't need to be in his arms all the time. Sometimes just sitting next to him or sitting across from him at the dinner table is enough.

"Okay, we need to get packed and ready to leave." Caroline said, moving out of his embrace.

"I'm almost done. It's you who's gonna take the longest. Did you bring your entire wardrobe?" Stefan asked through a laugh.

"Hey!" She playfully smacked his arm. "You are the one who told me to pack for a long time!" Caroline walked back to her dresser and started packing again.

"Yeah, I told you to pack for a while, not like the apocalypse was among us." Stefan laughed and Caroline threw one of her shirts at him.

* * *

An hour later and all their clothes were packed, their blood bags were taken out of the fridge and put away in their portable cooler. They did one final check to make sure they had everything then the house was shut and locked up. They packed what they could in the trunk of Stefan's Porsche then put the left over bags in the back seat.

They both plopped into their seats, Stefan driving and Caroline in the passenger seat. Stefan set his hand on the console in between them, waiting for Caroline's to be put in his. She didn't hesitate to slip her fingers between his and smile.

"You ready?" He asked, taking a big breath and raising his eyebrows.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She smiled his way and leaned over. He smiled and pressed his lips against her, leaving a sweet but searing kiss for her to remember the entire ride home.

It was a five-hour drive home and they didn't plan on stopping. They wanted to get home as quickly as possible. They were having fun though. This is the most free Caroline had ever seen Stefan.

Stefan would burst out singing whenever Bon Jovi would come on and Caroline would try to sing along but her voice would be taken over by her laughs. All the windows were down and the wind felt amazing as it was blowing through her hair. Stefan looked over at her while she was looking straight ahead. He thought she never looked more beautiful. She didn't have any makeup on and her hair was wavy from the beach. Her skin has a natural glow to it and her pink lips always caught his attention.

Soon enough, Caroline fell asleep with her hand still in Stefan's and her face turned towards his. Stefan kept the radio quiet and just kept his head straight. Sometimes he would look over at her and smile, just at the fact of how happy he is. He never realized how important Caroline was to him. He never realized how strongly he felt for her. He never pictured this happening, but it did, and he couldn't be more grateful. Caroline was what he needed, what he'll always need. He would never get tired of her. She was fun and interesting and always up for trying new things.

The time passed quickly with Caroline sleeping and soon they were pulling into the Mystic Falls city limits and Stefan had to wake Caroline up. She stretched as best as she could in the small Porsche and he smiled at the red spot on her cheek from her head resting on the leather seat. They were driving down main street when Caroline looked over to the town square.

"Oh, Stefan, they redid the town square! Can we please stop and walk around before we go see Elena." She asked and Stefan gave her a questioning look. "Please, please, please!" She practically begged. How could he say no to that?

"I guess. We might as well get something to eat at The Grille and see Matt. I'm sure he's working." He said and she smiled. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. They pulled into a parking spot and Caroline quickly jumped out. She ran across the street without waiting for Stefan and without looking to see if any cars were coming. "Caroline!" He yelled after her and she turned around and smiled.

He caught up to her and she grabbed his hand and slipped her fingers through his. They smiled at each other and Caroline took her hand not in Stefan's and placed it on his forearm, just above their joined hands. They started walking on the brick sidewalk around the town square while Caroline pointed out every new flower planted. When she saw the new fountain in the middle of the square she squealed like a kid and admired it for minutes.

Stefan thought that it was cute how she took interest in such little things. He was about to tell her that they should head to The Grille when she looked up at Stefan with that certain sparkle in her eye, Stefan couldn't drag her away from there. This was her home, new and improved, and he wasn't going to ruin this for her.

He loved her, after all.

* * *

Elena said goodbye to Matt then headed out of the door of The Grille. Lately, she had been able to get out of the house more often and for longer periods of time.

It was still hard to think how she would never see Bonnie or Damon again and she missed them more than anything in the world, but she's slowly been able to start moving on.

She had been alone for a while since Stefan and Caroline had left town. She didn't know if they were with each other or on opposite sides of the world. She was so thankful for Caroline because she was there for Stefan when she couldn't be. She was happy that Stefan had Caroline's friendship because she always brought out the best in him.

She started walking towards the Salvatore boarding house when a certain laugh caught her attention.

Elena heard them before she saw them.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and listened to them, even though it made her feel guilty.

"This makes you really happy, huh?" Elena heard Stefan say to Caroline. She heard his footsteps start on the brick sidewalk followed by Caroline's click of her heels.

"Yeah," Caroline started. "I mean, seeing my hometown getting a makeover is exciting. It's like as I grow up, this town grows up with me." Caroline explained, which made Elena smile. Elena knew exactly what Caroline was talking about. Stefan should understand that too. He had been born here and grew up here.

"You know what makes me happy?" Stefan whispered to Caroline. Elena had to strain her ears to hear him.

Elena felt guilty for listening in on her friend's conversation but it gave her a sense of calm; a sense of familiarity and that made her smile. She was actually excited for them to be back. It had gotten really boring being here all alone. She had tried to call both of them but after them not answering, she had figured that they disconnected their phones.

"What?" Caroline asked him. Elena heard their footsteps coming closer, so she thought she should go to them before they saw her and thought that she was avoiding them. Elena adopted a smile on her face at the mere thought of talking to them.

As soon as Elena turned around, Stefan's lips landed on Caroline's and Elena's smile fell. It feels like someone punched her in the stomach then kicked her once she fell to the ground. When Stefan pulled back, they both smiled at each other and Caroline kept her eyes on Stefan's.

"You" Stefan simply stated and Caroline giggled then quickly pressed her lips against his one more time. Elena's eyes scanned over them and studied their joined hands. They were both leaning against each other, looking like if one of them moved, the other would surely fall.

She didn't know why she was feeling like this. Like someone has sucked all the air out of her and crushed her lungs. Like someone has broken every bone in her body and left her to suffer. Like someone has ripped her heart out of her chest and squished it with their hands.

_No,_ Elena sternly said to herself. She loved Damon, she still loved Damon, even though he wasn't there anymore. She wasn't allowed to be jealous or mad that Stefan and Caroline had gotten together. She should have been happy for them. She shouldn't have wanted to go over there and separate them from each other.

Caroline's head slowly turned in Elena's direction and he smile fell. She instantly stepped away from Stefan and he followed her look to Elena.

"Oh my God." Caroline whispered to no one in particular.

Stefan and Caroline stayed standing in their space in the town square, while Elena crossed the road, slowly, and approached them.

"Hi, guys," she said quietly. She walked up to Caroline and gave her a hug and Caroline had a confused look on her face. Elena pulled away from Caroline and just smiled in Stefan's direction.

"Elena…" Caroline started but Elena cut her off.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Care." Elena smiled as best as she could in that moment. Stefan has kept his mouth shut since Elena walked over here because he didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"How have you been?" Caroline asked, changing the subject.

"It's still tough, but you know, I wake up everyday and it's been getting easier. I've been spending a lot of time with Matt, and you really can't be sad when you're around him." Elena babbled.

"Nope… not at all." Caroline said, her voice getting quieter.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Elena asked them, not really interested in hearing about them probably having sex every chance they got.

"We've just been in a small town on the coast of North Carolina; beach days and adventures. It's really peaceful. Maybe you and I can go one time. A weekend getaway?" Caroline suggested and Elena raised her eyebrows.

"That sounds like so much fun but I wouldn't want to ruin the memories you guys created there." Elena accidentally blurted out. It wasn't supposed to come off so snarky.

They all sat there in a few awkward moments of silent before Elena said that she should get home.

"I'm happy for you two, I hope you know that." She said quietly before walking away.

When Elena made sure no one was around, she used her vampire speed to get home quicker and slammed the front door. She grabbed a bottle of bourbon and just sat down on the couch. Her eyes were empty of any emotion as she sat there, staring at nothing in particular.

The tears came easy after she downed about half the bottle of bourbon and she couldn't control them anymore.

For the first time in a long time, Elena Gilbert had found herself crying for something other than Damon Salvatore and Bonnie Bennett's death.

And for the first time in forever, Elena Gilbert had found herself wanting to be Caroline Forbes.

* * *

"Stefan…" Caroline whined as they slowly made their way to The Grille.

"What, Caroline?" Stefan asked warily.

"I feel bad." She stated.

"Why do you feel bad?" He asked.

"We should have called and told her." Caroline said, then continued, not letting Stefan say a word. "No, now that she's seen that you're back she's probably gonna switch brothers again and you're probably going to want to go back to her. She's your epic love and all, remember." Caroline continued without acknowledging Stefan calling her name. "I mean, she's pretty, she's funny, she's smart and witty. You two have a history." Stefan called her name again. "Oh my God, I knew this day was coming."

"Caroline!" Stefan shouted and she finally stopped talking. "Would you shut up for two seconds?" Stefan said a little bit too loudly.

"Don't yell at me, Stefan!" Caroline said before storming away.

"I'm actually trying to have a conversation with you but you won't stop talking about illogical things!" Stefan yelled back. Caroline whipped back around towards Stefan and squinted her eyes at him.

"It's not illogical, Stefan, it's perfectly logical." She shouted before turning back around and walking away.

"Where are you walking to?" Stefan asked her.

She suddenly came to a stop and popped one of her hips. She had nowhere to go. It would be too awkward at the boarding house with Elena. Her mom had moved out to California after retiring from Sheriff. Bonnie is gone. Matt is working. She turned back to Stefan and stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know that you can be a douchebag sometimes, right?" She asked him, knowing that those moments of his were rare. He was the perfect gentleman.

"You know you can be a teenage girl who doesn't know when to shut up sometimes, right?" Stefan shot right back at her. "Caroline, you make me so frustrated sometimes. You weaseled you're way into my life. You are either the best thing for me, or the worse. We could break up and our friendship would be shot to hell. You are a neurotic control freak who speaks too much. You spend too much time in that damn bathroom, putting on makeup that you don't need. You spend too much damn money on clothes that don't change your beauty. You could walk around in a potato sack, or gray sweatpants for all I care, and you would still look as beautiful as if you were in an extravagant ball gown. At the bonfire, that first night I met you. I made the biggest mistake of my life. I said that we were never going to happen. I lied to you, and I lied to myself. After everything that we've been through, it changes nothing. After everything we've said to each other, it doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you." He paused and started walking towards her like he was on a mission. "After saying I want nothing to do with you, to becoming your best friend, it doesn't change the fact that I'm in love with you." His hands grabbed her face and his lips came crashing down on hers. Her hands went around his back and snuck their way around his neck. She pulled him closer and held on for dear life.

He had finally said it. She never wanted this moment to end. She wanted to bathe in the love she was feeling in this very moment. She wanted to remember his face, his words, how the light from The Grille made beautiful shadows on his face. She wanted to remember his emerald green eyes and his luscious pink lips. He pulled away when their lips started to become numb and he rested his forehead against hers.

"I love _you, _Caroline Forbes." He whispered, only for her ears to hear.

She moved her head to the spot in between his neck and shoulder and she hugged him. She clung onto him like a tornado was about to come their way and rip everything to shreds. But she would be safe. He would protect her in his arms. He would never let her go. Caroline stepped down off of her tippy toes and smiled up at him. She stepped away from him and took his hand in hers.

"But just to get one thing clear, you _don't _want to be with-," She started but stopped when she saw his judging eyes. "Just kidding!" She said through a laugh and Stefan smiled.

"Just shut up and kiss me." Stefan said, already leaning towards her.

"Will do, _Mr. Salvatore_."

* * *

**A/N: Just to get one thing clear… I do **_**not **_**ship Stefan and Caroline. I merely… root for them while Elena is being stupid. If Stefan makes Caroline happy, they should go for it. If Caroline makes Stefan happy, all I want is for my precious cupcake to be filled with joy. If Caroline does that for him, I'm happy for the both of them.**

**I hope you liked it.**


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